Kriss wrote: They did get El Hijo del Santo later when they started the SuperAstros show, but that's another "thing that actually happened that no one remembers".
Super Astros is a good one. That show couldn't have lasted longer than 3 months I don't think. I enjoyed it but can't really remember anyone on it at all, but there were definitely some guys who never appeared on WWE TV before or since in any other setting, so it was interesting.

srossi wrote: Kriss wrote: They did get El Hijo del Santo later when they started the SuperAstros show, but that's another "thing that actually happened that no one remembers".
Super Astros is a good one. That show couldn't have lasted longer than 3 months I don't think. I enjoyed it but can't really remember anyone on it at all, but there were definitely some guys who never appeared on WWE TV before or since in any other setting, so it was interesting.

November 1998 to April 1999. They filled out the shows with the guys from Los Boricuas and Kaientai, along with Papi Chulo, but there were some "brand-exclusive" wrestlers such as El Hijo del Santo, Negro Casas and Apolo Dantes.

kargol wrote: There was El Merenguero, who I think was one of the Boricuas under a mask.

The odd thing is WWF had the light-heavy title still under its purview and with Gillberg, but not showing it at all. They could have jobbed it to a luchadore and made it a centrepiece for that show.

Gillberg kept the title belt, even though he wasn't under contract, and defended it at indies in the Northeast for a year. When he did come back to lose the title it was to Essa Rios, who as Papi Chulo was a regular on SuperAstros.

Has anyone done any kind of shoot interview about SuperAstros? I'd love to hear it. I bet most fans were confused when they had to watch an hour of lucha before a Raw taping.

Castillo didn't wear a mask for the gimmick, at least not for long if he did at all.

Super Astros was a big mess. Culturally Mexicans and Puerto Ricans have little in common apart from speaking Spanish and the style of pro wrestling was very different. Trying to make a show out of that was a challenge to begin with and was made worse by taping it at Raw in front of fans there to see Steve Austin and DX rather than a bunch of guys few to any of them knew or recognized. Had they done a standalone taping on a monthly basis, it might have turned out better since there might have been a crowd that cared. Then again, another of the challenges was Spanish speaking fans in North America wanted the "real" WWF with Rock, Undertaker, and Foley, not luchadors and WWC vets.

Along these lines, WCW had a pilot taping on January 27, 1999 in Waco, TX for Festival de Lucha. It was meant to be an lucha libre WCW show. It had WCW's luchadors (Konnan, Rey, Juvi, Psychosis, La Parka, Silver King, the Villanos, and so on), some luchadors up from Mexico that weren't in WCW (Salsero, Piloto Suicida, Felino, etc.), some WCW guys who could fit in with the lucha libre style and/or who had previously worked in Mexico (Chris Jericho, Lenny Lane, Disco Inferno, Norman Smiley, Blitzkrieg, Johnny Swinger), and some indies (Fidel/David Sierra, Ricky Santana, etc.). The show only drew about 2,500 in an arena that held 10,000. The proposed series never got made and the pilot was never shown as far as I can recall although the WWE must have the tape and might put it out there someday on the network.

If you want something that no one remembers, name the English NWA champion from the late 1990s without looking it up.
Gary Steele? Didn't look it up, might be wrong, but that is strongly ringing a bell.

If you want something that no one remembers, name the English NWA champion from the late 1990s without looking it up.
Gary Steele, and he won it in a triple threat from Naoya Ogawa. Had it for a week. It's probably so obscure though that it becomes memorable for its obscurity. Like everyone forgets that bisexual chap who was US champ. No. 2 title in the biggest promotion but I'm damned if I can recall his name.

John Tolos as The Coach also managed the Beverly Brothers. After Mr. Perfect blew out his back and spent the next year plus on the sidelines, the Beverly Brothers got The Genius as a new manager and Tolos was quietly fired.

If you want something that no one remembers, name the English NWA champion from the late 1990s without looking it up.
Gary Steele, and he won it in a triple threat from Naoya Ogawa. Had it for a week. It's probably so obscure though that it becomes memorable for its obscurity. Like everyone forgets that bisexual chap who was US champ. No. 2 title in the biggest promotion but I'm damned if I can recall his name.